Category Archive: Hiring Help

Small businesses and freelancing are growing more popular with time. With online and social media marketing, it’s easy to set up a business and be your own boss. This is why you see more people turning to entrepreneurship and be all the happier for it.

However, there comes a time when a self-employed individual feels the need to expand their business. Some businesses may have at least one employee from the very beginning, but there are several that have to consider hiring for the first time. Employing another individual requires commitment, risk and fixed costs.

Here we’ve rounded up signs that will help you decide whether or not it’s time for you to hire your first employee:

1. Work is Overwhelming

If you’re getting a lot of business, it’s a pity to turn some of it away just because you don’t have the time and energy. Hiring another person could potentially increase your revenue multifold along with breathing new life into the system.

Turning away orders or customers doesn’t have to mean that you require extra help. It helps, however, to see just how you feel when you have to turn away clients. If you’re fine with this, then it is okay. If you feel bad, guilty or worried about losing business, you should seriously consider your first hire.

You’ll have to think about the kind of employee you need for your line of work. If you just have a large temporary project, consider hiring a contractor or a part-time employee. Hiring full time isn’t always the way to go. You can always offer your part-time worker longer hours or a full-time position if things work out.

2. No Time for Research and Development

Even the smallest companies should have some time and budget devoted to research and development. This department is what allows a company to grow outside of its everyday operations. You may have no time to seek out and attract new customers because you’re too busy with the existing ones.

To find out if you need to hire an employee in such a case, make a list of the things you can safely delegate to someone else. Once your mind is free from mundane and simple tasks, you can set challenges for yourself and brainstorm your company to new levels!

3. Decline in Customer Satisfaction

If you are a tiny business and are working for yourself, you probably have a very special relationship with your customers. Customer loyalty is one of the factors that give an edge to small businesses over large ones. Once you get busy, however, you may not have enough time for that personalized service your clients have grown to love. This may lead to customer dissatisfaction and a gradual trickling away of your consumer base.

Before this happens, you may want to free yourself up. Hire an employee who understands the importance of customer service, and set a good example for them. Such an action would also be a potential lifesaver for your company, as unhappy customers can now do some pretty hard damage if they want. With review sites like Yelp and a comments section on every social media platform, you don’t want customers airing their grievances online.

Wrapping Up…

When you stay alert to the ins and outs of your work and the market for it, you can easily detect the time for hiring your first employee. Given that you’re able to handle all the costs and can find a suitable person, hiring a new employee is a positive step. If nothing else, every hard worker like yourself should be able to take a break every now and then!

Meet the Author: Jenna Burton

Jenna Burton is an Academic Expert, Researcher and an Academic Writer. She also renders professional academic consultancy services to students who want to buy dissertation uk. She is a sport freak and plays all kinds of sports.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.leadershipgirl.com/signs-time-hire-first-employee/

Small businesses are often limited on resources, and they need to do the best with what they can get if they want to succeed. This doesn’t mean small businesses need to settle for less –- it just means they have to be a little craftier and slightly more resourceful than their competitors. Small business have just as much power in terms of attracting top talent. It’s all a matter of how those small businesses approach the process.

Write a Strong Job Description

The right job description makes all the difference in the world. You may have to spend a lot of time creating the perfect description, but the good thing about writing it is that you’ll only need to do it once. If you ever need to fill the same position again or a similar position in the future, you’ll be able to count on your strong job description. Be honest and be detailed. Highlight even the most mundane parts of the jobs and the kinds of skills required to complete tasks. This is what will ultimately help you attract candidates worthy of the challenge.

Show Them What You Have to Offer

It never hurts to check out your competitors’ posts on Gumtree to see what kind of promises they’re making. You may not be able to afford a massive salary or some of the other lofty things that many employers have up for grabs, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a bargaining position. Can you offer your employees flexible scheduling or the ability to work from home? Is your workplace more laid back? Focus on the things that make you unique.

Sell Yourself

Many businesses make the mistake of expecting candidates to sell themselves to the business. When you want top talent and your business is at a slightly lower tier, you’re going to have to sell yourself to your potential employees. You may not have all of the benefits and resources of a large business, but you need to be able to answer the question, “Why should you work for us?”

It’s a mistake to believe that top talent always goes for the money. There are some things, such as strong company culture and work that genuinely make a difference, which mean more to top candidates than their paychecks.

Go Direct

When you spot someone who you believe would be a perfect fit for your small business, it never hurts to directly offer them that position. This also cuts the duration of a hiring cycle down drastically, as you won’t have to weed out as many potential candidates when you know the ones you’re contacting already look promising. When you see someone great on LinkedIn, spend some time getting to know them professionally before you go for the gold. Make sure you send a thoughtful message that shows you’ve researched the candidate thoroughly, and avoid tired clichés.

Increase Your Web Presence

Start a blog! Regularly updated blogs that provide valuable content to their readers often jump to the top of Google’s rankings, making them easier to find. Some of the people who enjoy your blog have the potential to be the greatest candidates ever. They already know how your business views different aspects of the industry, and they’re already well versed in who you are. That familiarity can go a long way in helping you find a candidate who is a perfect cultural fit.

Keep in mind that retaining top talent is just as important as locating that talent in the first place. Once you add a total rock star to your team, make sure you’re keeping conversation flowing smoothly and providing these employees with the support they need to help you become successful.

Meet the Author: Amber Brunning

Amber Brunning is part of the team at Uphours.com. She enjoys writing about small business and successful women. When not working, you can find her online chatting with her friends or reading industry blogs.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.leadershipgirl.com/attract-top-talent-small-business/

Everyone experiences life hardships from time to time. These circumstances are just a natural part of life. Unfortunately, many employees feel they must choose between keeping their job and handling their business during times of hardship. As a business owner, it’s important that you show concern for the health and well-being of your employees, rather than contributing to their stress.

With employee hardships, there are a few ways you can show your support in a professional way:

1. Offer Counseling Services

One way to show your support is by offering an employee assistance program. These programs are designed to help employees through personal and emotional issues in a confidential and cost-effective way. Most programs offer a wealth of online resources as well as a call center for immediate and 24 hour support. Many programs will even offer a certain amount of counseling sessions at no cost to the employee. Consider incorporating this benefit into your overall benefits package and communicating this option to all of your employees. It’s a feature that can make all the difference to a struggling staff member.

2. Create Time-Off Policies

Another successful strategy is to create a policy permitting time off for mental rest, grief or other life trauma. This policy should outline a consistent, fair and manageable process for requesting time off for dealing with personal matters. Your policy should outline the amount of time off, the process for requesting it, and a clause about the employee’s job security during this time off. These parameters will help ensure the policy is not abused. Your staff will appreciate this considerate and understanding gesture.

3. Create a Culture of Confidentiality

Confidentiality is crucial to an employee’s trust and relief. You’ll want to design an overall culture of confidentiality within your group. Provide training to your human resources staff and take measures to ensure this confidentiality is being honored. Your employees will feel much better about bringing pertinent issues to your attention if they know the information will be held in confidence.

4. Develop a Wellness Program

While you may not always be able to offer advice or time off, there are other ways you can help combat stressful life situations. Exercise has been proven to improve mood, reduce blood pressure and alleviate stress. Offering employee discounts at a local gym or encouraging healthy habits through a corporate wellness program may help your employees naturally manage some of these challenging circumstances.

These are just a few of the many ways you can help your employees through hardships without crossing any boundaries. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, divorce matters or illness, your workers’ well-being in times of hardship is important to their success. Employ one of these strategies today, and your employees will be pleased with your consideration and care.

Meet the Author: Brooke Chaplan

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. Contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.leadershipgirl.com/4-ways-help-employees-through-hardships/

The possibility of having a multi-generational workforce isn’t new. The era of industrialization introduced many entrepreneurs and businesses to the same dilemma. However, since times have changed because of the advent of the internet, it seems that the gap between generations of workers has widened, and problems of communications and stereotypes have gotten worse.

The internet is a big catalyst and game changer when it comes to how companies run their businesses and excel in their respective industries. Since the Millennials were the first to experience the rise of the internet, a lot of employers choose them over older or younger applicants because of their compatibility with office functions that require internet literacy as well as experience.

Although this is a good choice, judging by the age and experiences that millennials can contribute to the company, there are always good reasons why you should hire Baby Boomers and people from Generation X and Generation Z.

If you want to know how each generation works and how they can complement each other, let’s get to know them better.

Baby Boomers And Their Desk Addiction

Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. Their ages are between 53 and 71, and thousands from their generation are retiring every day.

Advantages:

This is the generation of dedicated workers. They like working in offices, and they base their productivity (and promotion) on how long they stayed with the company.

They are loyal.

They maintain an excellent attendance record and are less likely to call in sick. They would be great office secretaries, who finish a task down to the very last bullet.

They are obsessed with perfection.

They are parents who know how things are done right in the home and you can expect that attitude to be visible in the office.

This is a generation that strives to settle down, and they are at the stage where they look for stability. They don’t have high demands, but would expect to receive all of their entitled benefits.

They are on the lookout for the best opportunities to build their families and have better homes. Mortgage lending is something that they are very concerned about right now, and they would rather have bigger lawns than live in high rise buildings.

They are mostly overworked, but that doesn’t matter. Because they have few short years left until they retire, they don’t take risks or resign, unless of course if they have plans to retire early.

This generation knows how to value time, waiting and careful processing.

They appreciate their work and would dedicate their lives to it.

They are decisive and sure of their undertakings.

Disadvantages:

They don’t work as fast as younger workers, but they finish their task polished and can have better work quality than most younger employees.

They like to communicate via phone calls, personal emails and through printed paper. Trying to cope up with social media and other messaging apps.

Will probably have a know-it-all attitude and be hard to teach because they think their experiences are their teacher. Having a millennial leader is going to crush their spirit, but they can manage as long as they’re treated with respect and as counsels.

They often feel they need to contribute something like a legacy, so they want their ideas to float above everyone else’s.

They value stability, so they might not be able to adjust to changing roles and responsibilities right away.

Famous people from their generation:

Steve Jobs — The legendary founder and former CEO of Apple and NeXT.

The workforce of this generation will do anything to keep the company afloat and will not stop at mediocrity. When you want a loyal workforce, they are what you need.

Gen X and Their Skeptical Nature

Gen X workers were born between 1965 and 1979. Their ages are around 38 to 52 years old, and they are known to be the skeptics. They are naturally skeptical about authority and the people leading them.

Advantages:

They gain trust by being independent most of the time — their greatest asset so far.

They can work with minimal supervision.

Generation X workforce knows they have to work their way to the top and have to fight with two different generations just to be promoted.

They take pride in their work.

They have an innovative spirit and are hard and smart workers at the same time.

This generation encourages diversity, and they make up most of the small and medium enterprise owners since there were job shortages in the U.S. at the time they graduated.

All they want is appreciation and recognition for their job well done.

Disadvantages:

They don’t like micro-management — something Baby Boomers are known to do (and they disdain them).

They don’t spend long hours at work. For them, 8 hours in the office is more than they can take. They like to leave work right away to have more time to themselves or to spend with family. They value productivity over working hours and would rather head home than listen to boring board meetings.

A skeptic by default. They are naturally skeptical about their leader’s capability — but if you prove yourself worthy, they will be loyal.

They are not loyal to employers because they will never sacrifice work-life balance.

Although their skeptical nature makes them leave jobs and be disloyal to their employers, they know one sure thing — their diplomas and degrees don’t guarantee them a job right away.

They have a competitive spirit because they want to be promoted over the millennial.

They challenge younger leaders and those who have a controlling nature.

In fact, it is this generation that opened the doors for a better and connected world — the internet. They were the catalysts of the interconnected world that we live in today and it is their greatest achievement.

Famous people from their generation:

Larry Page and Sergey Brin —Founders of Google, the largest search engine in the world.

Although the people who invented the internet didn’t come from their generation (but from that of the Silent Generation), it was they who worked in the IT world to develop the web that we have today. The millennials were roughly around five years old when the internet was first invented and their teenage years were made happier by their Gen X parents who changed how things were run.

Generation Y And The Rise Of Millennial Fame

The Millennials were born between 1980 and 1995. They are about 22 to 37 years old, and will be replacing the Baby Boomers, who are expected to retire in less than a decade.

What makes a millennial interesting?

Advantages:

They value work-life balance above everything else.

They are passion-oriented people. They are also entrepreneurial, and most got themselves a social media account or blog where they share a part of themselves.

They are young and willing to take risks. (Great for startups with an innovative idea)

They always aim to be independent and love to work from wherever they are comfortable. (Results-only work environment)

A millennial who works for you because of passion is guaranteed to stay in the job.

Millennials have an innovative and creative spirit, so don’t put them in a shell where they can’t move, think and be creative.

Disadvantages:

They don’t stay at a job for long if they think that work-life balance is lacking.

They are notorious job hoppers because they know there are plenty of opportunities more worthy of their time and talent.

They are the extremes of employees. Experimental, yet optimistic.

Since they are also perfectionists, they become indecisive and they put too much pressure on themselves.

They are exposed to part-time jobs and would probably juggle 3-4 part time jobs while being a full-time employee at one company.

They have a high-class standard of living and want only the best for themselves.

They won’t hesitate to leave work if they get discouraged.

They only leave their jobs if they get (easily) discouraged by leadership issues.

Famous people from their generation:

Mark Zuckerberg — Co-founder and CEO of Facebook, the largest social-networking site.

Generation Z

The Generation Z workers were born in 1995 up to the present. They are about 22 to 37 years old and will be the largest part of the population in a decade’s time. A part of this generation already joined the workforce, but they are expected to lead the workforce by 2020.

Advantages:

They can adapt to the work environment faster.

Great multitaskers.

Always updated.

Versatile and can learn tools easily and faster than anyone else.

Will bite any opportunity to learn. They believe actual work experience teaches better than sitting in a classroom.

Enthusiastic and adventurous.

Can work anywhere.

Work with devices only. Hate papers and will probably transport messages electronically.

They don’t like ad-click baits, so they’re going to teach you advertising better than their predecessors.

They adapt well with social media and couldn’t live without it. Great word-of-mouth bearers and “likes” are their definition of sales.

They are great influencers and networkers.

Disadvantages:

They will probably have a shorter attention span.

They can be less focused because there’s just too much distraction that can affect a Gen Z baby — like viral social media videos.

Will probably be less academically educated than anyone else when they join the workforce because they don’t believe so much in school education. They think they can learn everything online. Don’t mistake them for being stupid; they search everything on the web and probably know better than you.

Will have higher expectations.

They don’t trust easily. They can also have pseudo-personalities online and personally.

They will probably show the good side of themselves in adverse situations and then vent online.

We don’t know much about how Generation Z will be in the workforce, but their generation will surely be a game changer. Expect them to be naturally active in social media and instant messaging.

Famous people from their generation:

Patrick Finnegan — Marketing consultant; one of the most influential networkers of his generation helping big business firms and celebrities grow their social media reach.

Takeaway:

Having a multi-generational workforce is great because they can complement each other’s weaknesses. When you have great people leaving the company, you should have in line a leader that knows how to handle employees from different generations. It is best to be open, less traditional and open-minded about what your employees can do.

In the age of the internet, no one can set limits to what one can reach. You may not see their potential yet, but when they see they’re planted in solid ground, they’ll surely find ways to own their space and grow.

Meet the Author: Cari Samalik

Cari is a Michigan based entrepreneur and Mom and the CEO & co-founder of Livnfresh – a state related T-shirt brand. Previously, she worked in healthcare and the food and beverage industries before marrying into a screen printing business.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.leadershipgirl.com/why-hire-multi-generational-workforce/

Salespeople, like all employees, feel the stresses of home and work life. Some burnouts occur suddenly, while others can be predicted from a mile away – either way, make sure you prevent your employees from losing productivity. Consider these 5 effective ways to prevent burnouts from the sales team.

1. Create To-Do Lists

A to-do list gives you a basic reminder of day-to-day tasks, so having one is better than having none. Ideally, make the list as detailed as possible. List each task in order of importance and assign a different person to each one. Do not leave old lists hanging around, and complete a new one every day.

2. Offer Rewards

Promise to reward salespeople to keep up their morale. After years of hard work, employees lose the energy and loyalty that they had when they started. Salespeople must remain confident, motivated and interested in working on your sales team.

3. Find a Consultant

Find a call center consultant who understands the specific needs of your call center and the customers. Call center consulting is not the same as marketing or business management. Consultants teach employees how to increase sales rates and track results at the phone center. Their additional skills include employee recruitment, job training and operational assessments.

4. Improve Sales Training

Every member of your sales team needs regular training sessions. In general, training is needed to increase profits and find more customers. However, salespeople should not be left to watch outdated training videos and attend pointless seminars. Update your training to include the latest sales trends and techniques found in the sales industry.

5. Improve Phone Sales Techniques

Phone sales techniques vary widely from cold calling to simply smiling while talking. The most effective way to know which one works is to perform trial and error. First, know who your customers are as individuals. If your callers have fully loaded schedules, they are usually impatient and do not have time for long conversations. You will have to summarize all of your main points in a few minutes. Know each customer personally and the topics that are ideal to discuss.

At some point, every sales team works so hard that its members suffer from burnout. Your customers cannot wait for your employees to regain their composure and feel motivated to work again. Take a few steps forward to maintain the full attention and efficiency of your sales force.

Meet the Author: Rachael Murphey

Rachael Murphey is a writer and entrepreneur. She has written for HostReview.com, Kraft Law, Success at Eagle, and DreamsTime. She currently lives in Denver, CO with her dog Charlie.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.leadershipgirl.com/effective-ways-prevent-sales-team-burnout/

As business begins to expand, entrepreneurs will often realize that their eighteen hour days are not going to be enough. They will need to find employees with potential who are willing to dedicate to themselves to the company with the same drive. These employee will define the future of a company which is why employers should recognize the need for employee benefits. Employee benefits can be a little complicated, but are also a great motivator and can keep you competitive in the market. So it is important to do a bit of research regarding some of the nuances and legal matters they are involved in.

Know What is Legally Required

There are some benefits that serve as a bonus or an additional compensation for working with a particular company. On the other hand, there are also benefits that employers are required by federal or state law to offer. These will include time off for military service and jury duty, workers’ compensation, withholding FICA taxes, and a few others. If the entrepreneur wants to motivate talent, they should consider adding other benefits, such as health and life insurance, paid vacations and retirement plans. These may not be a legal necessity, but might be thought a practical necessity. A talented employee is far more likely to accept a position that comes with these additional benefits.

Handle Paperwork with Care

Anybody who works in an office can testify that paperwork can be a little boring. A Human Resources representative might have to fill out the same form multiple times for different employees, which can be very redundant and tedious and result in a few minor errors. But these minor errors could result in a denial of coverage for the employee to whom it was promised and even expensive legal fees. Insurance paperwork will therefore need to be handled with care and attention to detail. If you do them yourself, be sure you double check and go online if needed.

Identify Desirable and Undesirable Benefits

It might seem like a good idea to offer every possible benefit to employees, but this can be very expensive and is unnecessary. If an employee is a single, eighteen-year-old girl who is in college, she probably does not need life insurance benefits. She would work for the company even if she did not have it. A company vehicle might seem like a nice perk, but it is not really necessary for most employers. The wise entrepreneur will do some research into the demographics of her potential employees and discern which benefits they value.

The Scope of the Benefits

Employers will sometimes offer benefits at a group rate. This allows the employee to add their family, relatives and even some friends to their insurance plan. But the ability to add friends to one’s insurance policy is simply not a necessity, whether legal or practical. Employees do not expect it, and it is perfectly reasonable to forego that option. In addition to the group rate expense, it can cause a flurry of problems. The insurance company could challenge a large claim and cancel the policy. There are too many variables in group rate insurance policies.

Consult with a Reputable Financial Services Company

Insurance policies and retirement plans can have a lot of nuances. There is no universal plan that will be appropriate or adequate for every company. That is why many entrepreneurs will outsource to a financial services company. Of course, all financial service companies are not created equal. A little bit of research and consultation with their previous clients will be warranted. Places that specialize in retirement investments might be a better option for some and not others.

There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that employee benefits can be tricky. The good news is that a lot of other entrepreneurs have already made the mistakes and will share their wisdom to help new companies avoid them.

Meet the Author: Eileen O’Shanassy

Eileen O’Shanassy is a freelance writer and blogger based out of Flagstaff, AZ. She writes on a variety of topics and loves to research and write. She enjoys baking, biking and kayaking. Check her out on Twitter @eileenoshanassy.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.leadershipgirl.com/entrepreneurs-should-know-employee-benefits/

When a worker is injured on the job, employers may be held responsible for a wide variety of costs. There are direct costs associated with workplace injuries, such as the payment of worker’s compensation, legal fees and medical care for the employee. Businesses also incur indirect costs, such as finding a temporary employee, lost productivity and decreased profit margins.

Consider these four ways in which workplace injuries cost businesses more than just cash.

1. Decreased Profit Margins

Many businesses operate on a tight profit. When an experienced and skilled employee becomes injured on the job, this decreases the company’s profit margin. There may be a time when that worker’s job is not performed or must be taken over by a less skilled worker. A less skilled worker may do the work inefficiently or even incorrectly. According to the Safety Management Group, a business that operates at a 10 percent profit margin may have to increase their revenue by $2,400,000 in order to make up for an injury that has a combined direct and indirect cost of $240,000. Boosting revenue by this amount may be a considerable obstacle for many businesses.

2. Lost Productivity

The loss of productivity of an injured employee also costs employers. As explained by the American Society of Safety Engineers, the median number of days off of work for an injured employee is nine. Up to 25 percent of workplace injuries result in at least 31 days off of work for the injured staffer. These missed days of work lead to a considerable amount of lost productivity. In some businesses, employees are not cross-trained. If the injured person is the only worker who can do a specific task, a business may have a great deal of hardship in maintaining a high enough productivity level. Even when other workers are cross-trained, they will still have their own tasks to perform. Overworked employees are at a higher risk of becoming injured themselves, which could snowball the effects of a singled injured worker.

3. Legal Costs

When an employee is injured on the job, employers may incur considerable legal costs. The business will need to hire a defense attorney in case the injured employee files a lawsuit. Even if a workplace injury case is settled out of court, which can take many months, the lawyer will still need to be paid for his or her services.

When an injury case does go to court, the employer could be faced with paying for their own legal defense as well as the legal costs incurred by the injured worker. These fees are in addition to any medical claims and pain and suffering awards by the court or the jury. Employers should also be aware of any local or regional laws by consulting with lawyers in their area. Finding local lawyers is as simple as performing a search such as “personal injury lawyers las vegas” or “accident attorney san diego”, and should be one of the first things a company does when an injury occurs.

4. Hiring and Training Temporary Staff

An injured worker who will need more than a few days off of work may need to be temporarily replaced by another person. Hiring and training a new employee takes both time and money. Human resources staffers and managers will have to create a job opening, post the position, wait for applicants, screen and background-check applicants, and set up interviews. Once a person is finally selected, he or she will have to be trained on how to do the job. Every job has a learning curve, and it will take time for the temporary staffer to learn how to do the work efficiently and correctly.

Workplace injuries are extremely costly to all types of employers. Even a moderate injury to one employee could result in losses of hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. And the losses of productivity and profitability are difficult to measure. Employers can work to prevent occupational hazards and purchase liability insurance for increased financial protection.

Meet the Author: Brooke Chaplan

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. Contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.leadershipgirl.com/workplace-injuries-cost-your-business/

Making a profit as a business can be a tough thing to accomplish in a competitive market. Most don’t succeed. According to Forbes, a startling 80 percent of businesses don’t survive to their third year. To survive, you have to look for ways to save. One way to do so is to outsource.

Below are five ways businesses can save money by outsourcing.

1. Training Expenses

According to the Association for Talent Development, companies spend on average $1,195 to train each employee. With a lot of employees, this can quickly add up. However, when you outsource, you don’t have to spend the time, money and resources to train the employees working for that outside firm. It’s not your responsibility.

2. Benefits

For many companies, providing things like health insurance and disability insurance is required by law. If you don’t provide other decent benefits, you may lose most of the best talent in your industry to competitors. However, if you outsource certain business tasks that can be performed by outside firms, you can lower the amount you will have to pay in expensive benefits.

3. Employee Opportunity Costs

A company’s greatest resource is its employees. How those employees are used often determines the competitive advantages a company has. If you use your employees to perform mundane work such as data entry, payroll or even janitorial tasks, you may lose some of that competitive advantage that you would have if they were working on more important projects. Outsourcing helps free up your most valuable employees.

4. Tech Support

Most companies require the use of complex computer networks to do work and store and analyze important data. When this technology breaks down, you need to have IT staff on site to help troubleshoot and fix problems. However, IT professionals usually come with extremely high salaries.Consider outsourcing to an Ottawa tech support service or other IT resources that can work with small businesses.

5. Telecommuting

Office space itself can be very expensive to pay for. Consider outsourcing some of your work to freelancers who telecommute. You will still receive completed work from these individuals. However, they won’t have to work in your office, and you won’t incur most of the fixed costs of hiring employees.

There are a lot of advantages to outsourcing. However, you should only deploy outsourcing strategically. Outsource tasks that will save you money and help free up your employees to work on projects more directly related to your core products and services.

Meet the Author: Hannah Whittenly

Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, CA. She graduated from the University of California-Sacramento with a degree in Journalism.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.leadershipgirl.com/5-ways-business-save-money-outsourcing/

IT staffs use technology to enable businesses to operate more efficiently and increase their productivity tremendously. Reliable communication, ideal electronic storage and record protection are some of the benefits of assigning information and management section of your business to professionals. The tech-savvy experts can ensure sensitive information about your business is safe and protected from cyber criminals. Therefore, you can never go wrong with investing in IT resources and employees.

Why Your Business Needs More IT Employees:

1. Automation Of Processes

In today’s competitive business world, people are looking for strategies to do more work within a short period. The San Francisco-based Federal Reserve Bank published a newsletter in November 2000, trying to explain in a nutshell how Information and Technology, as well as the tech staff, can enhance a firm’s operational efficiency by coming up with automated processes. That way, employees in other sections can focus on meeting other deadlines while their reports are running on the computer. IT staffs are instrumental when it comes to programming those computers to create queries, keep track on projects and monitor financial transactions.

2. Improved Communication

Communication is indisputably one of the most valuable assets for any business. Business growth is driven by the effectiveness of communication both internally (among the staff) and externally (with the clients). Hiring more IT employees will ensure workers in other departments can readily access functioning emails, internal chat rooms and video communication tools. The immediate outcome of implementing this strategy is an improvement in both communication and business operation.

3. Information Storage And Protection

Your ability to stay ahead of your competitors, and even outclass them, will depend partly on the efficiency of your IT team and data protection programs. Your business should adopt storage systems that allow only specific IT employees to access, remove, incorporate, or change the documents. Malicious activities on your server can be detected quickly when you bring on board more IT technicians. Encourage your IT specialists to pursue programs such as MBA technology management to enable them to develop innovative solutions to challenges that your business faces.

4. Ability To Work Remotely

Allowing your employees to work remotely goes a long way towards improving retention rates and business productivity. However, when you have people working from home, you expose your business to cyber security threats. Fortunately, IT experts can develop systems that will allow your remote employees to connect to the office’s electronic network, and thus, guaranteeing business safety.

5. Top-Notch Client Relationship Management

Modern businesses are leveraging IT to enhance the way they develop and manage client relationships. Your IT staff can develop an efficient Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program, which records every interaction your business has with a client. They can evaluate if customer care staff is addressing issues raised by customers correctly and on time.

Over the years, information technology (IT) has turned out to be an instrumental part of almost every business plan. More importantly, business owners have come to appreciate the roles of IT employees. With proper management, hiring more IT professionals can serve as part of your growth plan.

Meet the Author: Kara Masterson

Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing and spending time with her dog, Max.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.leadershipgirl.com/tech-solutions-top-5-reasons-hiring-it-employees/

Creating a healthy workplace environment is very important. It helps with the level of productivity. It helps keeps stress levels down. If you’re looking for simple ways to infuse this type of positivity in your workplace from a managerial standpoint, consider these ideas.

Example

It’s important to be the change you want to see. Just like children are more likely to obey what their parents do more than what they say, you’ve got to be the model and support what you say with actions. Actions speak much louder than words. Be kind and courteous. Always be thoughtful and consider those who you don’t agree with. Always look to find a solution and obey the rules of your work culture. Don’t assume that you’re above the standards, because others will notice that. The more you go outside of the rules, the more your employees will do the same.

Expectations

It’s important to have understood expectations of each employee. The key word is understood. Have an informed conversation with your employees regarding what you expect, the rewards and the consequences. It’s unfair to hold an employee to a standard they’re unaware of. Once expectations are communicated, kind but firm reminders are necessary in the case of an infraction. Continued negligence can result in termination of employment.

Equality

It is a wise idea to hire employees who will be a good social fit for the environment. It’s a fine line because you don’t want to create an environment where everyone is exactly the same. However, it is important to be a good judge of character and personality. Just make sure to place an emphasis on diversity and equal treatment.

Employee Hiring

Each person you hire is like a building block to a healthier workplace. You should hire someone with a positive attitude to help promote a positive workplace environment. Positivity isn’t the only important factor, and it’s hard to display that through a resume. This is why the interview process is important and an interim/probationary period is wise. If you want to improve the workplace culture, consider hiring someone with a Master of Science in Applied Psychology. Hiring the people with the right education can make a big difference in their ability to make a positive impact.

Environment

Many people get understandably stressed out when their work environment is messy. You might have employees on your staff that get anxiety at the thought of clutter. This can directly impact their level of productivity and the quality of the work they produce. In this case, be a stickler about keeping a clean environment. Make sure the workplace smells good, stays clean and is visually appealing for employees to come to work.

While creating a better workplace is a task on its own, maintenance is another. With intention and a concerted effort in this area, maintenance will feel like second nature.

Meet the Author: Lizzie Weakley

Lizzie is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. She went to college at The Ohio State University where she studied communications. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and long walks in the park with her 3-year-old husky, Snowball.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.leadershipgirl.com/create-better-workplace-environment/